Sympathy for Strays
by Casa Circe
Summary: PARS2017 Days 3 and 4: Baby Animals and A Fresh Start. "He always does this," Elam explained with a proud smile, "It's almost like he can never resist the sight of a small, helpless animal. He needs to help every lost thing that crosses his path."


**Sympathy for Strays**

 _PARS2017 Days 3 and 4: Baby Animals and a Fresh Start_

 _NOTE:_

 _I know it's too late to submit this but I figured I'd write something anyway, if only to fill the prompts, because I started this and I reckoned I need to finish it. This was a tricky set of prompts and I was also way too busy to write anything on time, but here's something anyway. It's a bit of relief to be writing one piece for every two prompts because at this point, that is all I can really manage._

 _Just a short piece with some of the characters observing Prince Arslan and what I am sure is his tendency of being surrounded by small animals because he is a pure cinnamon roll and he might as well be a Disney princess sometimes. Not much goes on here and there are only the slightest hints of Arslan x Étoile, but I could not help myself. I love these two so much and I could write about them forever._

 _I'm not sure when I'll be able to post my piece for Days 5 and 6 but you can be sure I'll write something to conclude this week._

 _So, please enjoy and let me know what you think!_

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"He always does this," Elam explained with a proud smile, "It's almost like he can never resist the sight of a small, helpless animal. He needs to help every lost thing that crosses his path."

Étoile nodded. They talked as they watched Arslan carefully nurse a small bird with a broken wing that he had found on the road. The young monarch was leading an army to war but he still managed to notice an injured animal, even in the midst of the chaos. A less observant person would have missed it completely and most likely the tiny bird would have been trampled by the horses of the riders.

Arslan could never resist a stray, whether animal or human. Where help was needed, he was determined to provide it. Such strange behavior. But the Lusitanian knight was beginning to understand this about the unusual prince of Pars.

And she saw that everyone in Arslan's group knew him well enough. Clearly, this was not the first time he had taken care of a lost and frightened creature. So they supported him in his cause. Daryun and Narsus had long stopped trying to convince him not to take care of these animals, knowing that this was an integral part of his character. Elam and Alfreed usually argued about how to best go about taking care of the small animals Arslan found. Farangis would give her silent approval. Gieve would simply smile and sing about it wistfully.

For her part, Étoile was growing accustomed to this. She had not been with Arslan's group for very long and though she shared a passing acquaintance with him over the years it was only now that she was finally starting to understand him. And she could see that he had a profound sympathy for the lost and the despairing, a sympathy that could only come from some painful experience.

But the prince constantly put on a brave face, even in the midst of adversity. And yet Étoile knew that he had his struggles. He was only better at masking his pain and sorrow. And he tried his best to be the face of inspiration and encouragement so that those around him would not be plunged into complete despair.

And the more she thought about it, the more Étoile was able to draw comparisons between the lost animals (birds, horses, kittens, puppies, camels) that Arslan seemed to collect and care for and the allies he had gathered around him (albeit in human form.) Étoile knew that they were all from vastly different backgrounds, united only by their faith in this peculiar prince and his generous ways.

Even she herself was a stray, in her own way, and the longer the knight stayed with this company, the more difficult the prospect of returning to her old life in Lusitania seemed to become. So much had happened and some things could never be restored. And yet, somehow, she didn't mind the changes as much as she used to.

She had not entertained the notion before, and truly, the old her would never have imagined that she would end up traveling with the prince of Pars. But she found that her current circumstances were quite favorable and it would be ungrateful and almost dishonorable for her to refuse all the generosity and kindness shown to her by people who were supposed to be her enemies. The world was more complicated than she had anticipated. But she was beginning to appreciate the surprises that came her way.

Prince Arslan offered everyone a fresh start, and Étoile was beginning to consider this option for her future.


End file.
